96 



NA rURE 



[November 26, 1891 



Physical Society, November 6. — Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Dr. Raps explained certain modifica- 

 tions which he had introduced into his automatic mercurial 

 air-pumps, and demonstrated the action of the pump on a 

 Geissler tube, which he rapidly exhausted so completely that a 

 phosphorescent light made its appearance in it. — The President 

 made some remarks on photographs of the human retina. — 

 Prof. Kundt described Dr. Zehnder's new and simple differential- 

 refractor, an instrument by means of which the two rays destined 

 to produce interference may be kept some 50 to 100 cm. apart, 

 and be subjected separately to varying experimental conditions. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London. 



THURSDA V, November 26. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — On Instability of Periodic Motion : Sir William 

 Thomson, Pres.R.S. — A New Mode of Respiration in the Myriapoda: F. 



: G. Sinclair. — Further Observations on the Gestation of Indian Rays : J. 

 Wood-Mason and A. Alcock.— On some Variations observed in the 

 Rabbit's Liver under certain Physiological and Pathological Circum- 

 stances : Dr. Brunton, F.R.S., and Dr. Delepine. — On the Electromotive 

 Phenomena of the Mammalian Heart : W. M. Bayliss and Dr. E. H. 

 Starling. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Description of the 

 Standard Volt and Ampere Meter used at the Ferry Works, Thames 

 Ditton: Captain H. R. Sankey (late R.E.)and F. V. Andersen. 



London Institution, at 6.— On the Spread of Commerce in Europe in 

 Prehistoric Times : Prof. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S. 



Camera Club, at 8.30. — Some Analogous Aspects of Painting, Music, and 

 Poetry (Musical and Pictorial Illustrations) : Rev. F. C. Lambert. 



FRIDAY, November 27. 

 Institution op Civil Engineers, at 7.30. — Modern Railway Carriages : 



Walter Clemence. 

 Camera Club, at 8.— Retouching : Redmond Barrett. 



SATURDAY. November 28. 



Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 



Essex Field Club, at 6.30 (at Loughton). — On some Ancient Lake Re- 

 mains at Felstead, with Notes on other similar Remains in the District : 

 J. French.— The Life-History of the Hessian Fly : F. Enock. 



SUNDAY, November 29. 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4. — How came the Great Ice Age? (with 

 Oxyhydrogen Lantern Illustrations): Sir Robert S. Ball, F.R.S. 



MONDA Y, November 30. 

 Royal Society, at 4. — Anniversary Meeting. 

 Society of Arts, ai E. — The Pigments and Vehicles of the Old Masters : 



A. P. Laurie. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at ^.—Conversazione. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8. — CroU's Philosophical Basis of Evolution : 



Arthur Boutwood. 

 London Institution, at 5. — Recent Progress in Astronomy (Illustrated) : 



Sir Robert Ball, F.R.S. 

 Camera Club, at 8.30.— Lantern Evening. 



TUESDAY, December I. 



Zoological Society, at 8.30.— Notes on Transcaspian Reptiles: G. A. 

 Boulenger. — Further Descriptions of New Butterflies from British East 

 Africa, collected by Mr. F. J. Jackson during his Recent Expedition, 

 Part II.: Miss K. M. Sharpe.— On the Association of Gamasids with 

 Ants: A. D. Michael— Notes on the Bornean Rhinoceros: Edward 

 Bartlett. 



iNiTiruTiON OF Civil Engineers, at 8. — Monthly Ballot for Members. — 

 Renewed Discussion on Portland Cement and Portland-Cement Concrete : 

 Messrs. Bamber, Carey, and Smith. 



WEDNESDAY, December 2. 



Society of Arts, at 8.— Secondary Batteries : G. H. Robertson. 



Entomological Society, at 7. — Notes on Lycaena (nri!# Thecla) Rhymnus, 

 Tengstrsemii, and Pretiosa : George T. Baker.— The Effects of Artificial 

 Temperature on the Colouring of Vanessa urticae and certain other Species 

 of Lepidoptera : Frederic Merrifield.— On the Variation in the Colour of 

 the Cocoons of Eriogaster lanestris and Saturnia carpini : W. Bateson 

 (communicated by Dr. D. Sharp, F.R.S.). 



THURSDAY, December 3. 



Chemical Society, at 8. — Ballot for the Election of Fellows. — Phosphorus 

 Oxide, Part II. : Prof Thorpe, F.R.S., and A. E. Tu ton.— On Frangulin, 

 Part II. : Prof Thorpe and Dr. A. K. Miller.— The Structure and Cha- 

 racter of Flames : A. Smithels and H. Tingle. — The Composition of 

 CoDked Vegetables: Miss K. J. Williams. — On the Occurrence of a 

 Mydicatic Alkaloid in Lettuce : T. S. Dymond. — On some Metallic 

 Hydrosulphides : S. _E. Linder and H. Picton. — On the Physical Consti- 

 tution of some Solutions of Insoluble Sulphides : Harold Picton. — Solu- 

 tion and Pseudo-Solution : H. Picton and S. E. Linder. 



LiNNKAN Society, at 8.— A Contribution to the Freshwater Algae of the 

 West of Ireland: W. West.— The Tick Pest in Jamaica: Dr. W. H. W. 

 Strachan. 



NO. I 152, VOL. 45] 



London Institution, at 6.— The Tower of Babel and Confusion of 



Tongues (Illustrated) : Theo. G. Pinches. 

 Camera Club, at 8.30. — On Toning Bromide Paper and Transparencies 



(with Demonstration and Illustrations) : A. R. Dresser. 



FRIDAY, December 4. 

 Physical Society, at 5.— On a Permanent Magnetic Field : W. Hibbert. 



— Note on the Production of Rotatory Currents : Prof. Ayrton, F.R.S. 

 Geologists' Association, at 8.— Supplementary Observations on some 



Fossil Fishes from the English Lower Oolites : Arthur Smith Woodward. 



— Organic Matter as a Geological Agent : Rev. A. Irving. 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, at 2.— Students' Visit to inspect the 



New Refrigerating Plant at Nelson's Wharf, Commercial Road, Lambeth. 

 Camera Club, at 8. — Retouching : Redmond Barrett. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Books. — Legons sur les Metaux, 2nd fasc. : A. Dilte (Paris, Dunod). — 

 Hand-book to the Geology of Derbyshire, 2nd edition: J. M. Mello(Bem- 

 rose).— Annals of British Geology, 1890: J. F. Blake (Dulau).— The Ouse : 

 A.J. Foster (S.P.C.K.).— Hand-book of Psychology -Feeling and Will; 

 J. M. Baldwin (Macmillan). — Index-Catalogue of the Library of the 

 Surgeon General's Office, U.S. Army, vol. xii. (Washington). — Electricity 

 tested Experimentally, 3rd edition : L. Cumming (Longmans). — Problems 

 in Chemical Arithmetic : E. J. Cox (Percival). — An Account of British 

 Flies, vol. i. Part 2 : F. W. Theobald (Stock).— A Treatise on the Geo- 

 metry of the Circle: W. J. McClelland (Macmillan). — Beast and Man in 

 India : J. L. Kipling (Macmillan). — Principles of Agriculture : edited by 

 R. P. Wright (Blackie). — Elementary Inorganic Chemistry, new edition: 

 A. H. Sexton (Blackie).— Euclid, Book XI. : A. E. Layng (Blackie). 



Pamphlets. — Water and Water-Supp)y : J. Hopkinson (Hereford).— 

 History of Liberia: J. H. T. McPherson (Baltimore).— The Nuptial 

 Number of Plato : J. Adam (Clay). 



Serials. — Zeitschrift fur Wissenschaftliche Zoologie, 53 Band, i Heft 

 (Williams and Norgate). — Cyclone Memoirs, Part 4 ; W. L. Dallas (Calcutta). 

 — Journal of the Anthropological Institute, November (K. Paul). — Govern, 

 ment of India Meteorological Department, Monthly Weather Review- 

 March and April 1891 (Calcutta). — Indian Meteorological Memoirs, vol. iv., 

 Part 7 (Calcutta). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Electro-magnetism. By Prof. A. Gray 73 



Fungus Eating 75 



'' Extension Psychology." By C. LI. M 76 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Dobbin: " Arithmetical Exercises in Chemistry " . . 76 

 Pamely : " The Colliery Manager's Hand-book." — C. 



L. N. F 77 



Mills: " Photography Applied to the Microscope " . 77 

 Flammarion : " Copernic et la Decouveirte du Systeme 



du Monde." — G 77 



Blake: " Annals of British Geology, 1890 " 77 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Warning Colours. — Frank E. Beddard 78 



The Salts in Natural Waters.— R. B. H 78 



Mental Arithmetic— Clive Cuthbertson 78 



A Rare Phenomenon.— Alexander Graham Bell . 79 

 Henry Nottidge Moseley, F.R.S, By Prof. E. Ray 



Lankester, F.R.S 79 



On the Virial of a System of Hard Colliding Bodies. 



By Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S 80 



The Implications of Science. II. By Dr. St, George 



Mivart, F.R.S 82 



Examinations in Science 85 



Notes 85 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Determination of the Solar Parallax 89 



Photometric Observations 90 



The Pamirs 90 



Elizabeth Thompson Science Fund 91 



University and Educational Intelligence 92 



Scientific Serials 92 



Societies and Academies 92 



Diary of Societies 96 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 96 



